Recycling is course care

I strive to fix multiple ball marks on every green, collect trash from turf, paths and ornamental beds, rake bunkers as meticulously as Ted Scott and demonstrate gratitude toward golf course employees. I’d repair more divots, but I take course care to such extremes I swipe instead of dig at the ball to avoid wounding playing surfaces.

My father, Guy Cipriano Jr., and grandfather, Guy Cipriano Sr., instilled protecting the course in me from the moment I uttered, “I think I want to give golf a try.” I wasn’t playing golf anymore if I disobeyed their orders. Spending time on the course represented a privilege. That beloved privileged was removed if I abused the course.

Since that mid-1990s introduction to golf, basic course care hasn’t changed much, besides the elimination of the nuisances and tattered afternoon putting surfaces created by metal spikes. Ball marks and divots must be repaired and replaced; bunkers need raked.

What has changed drastically in the past 30 years are the number of people using your courses and their feelings toward protecting the planet. Education, awareness and relentless advocacy have cultivated more eco-conscious humans. And, yes, golfers are humans, despite some of the behavior witnessed on courses.

For this month’s cover package (page 16), we pitched to digital editor Kelsie Horner a story about practical ways courses can pitch fewer bottles, cans and other reusable materials consumed around the course. Kelsie, author of our monthly “Conservation Mindset” column, enthusiastically accepted the assignment.

Our eyes sparked the story concept. Finding recycling stations at some golf facilities can be as tricky as spotting a mountain lion on a woodsy hike. Only 57 percent of courses support formal recycling programs, according to an industry survey we distributed in late 2025.

Labor, time and lack of knowledge/training were cited as the top reasons why courses neglect to implement recycling programs. Kelsie’s reporting gently debunks those myths. Recycling is a giant industry — our parent company, GIE Media, owns the ultra-successful Recycling Today Media Group — employing nearly 600,000 determined professionals capable of helping businesses such as golf courses establish formal systems and programs.

Recycling, like golf, is a passion endeavor. The people involved with the industry strive to contribute to the greater good, often accepting career discounts along the way. Education and advocacy permeate the higher rungs of the recycling business. Owners and operators of recycling facilities face the same challenges identifying and developing talent as golf industry leaders. The industry’s demands often mean recycling leaders and their employees feel overworked. But that doesn’t stop many of them from dispersing knowledge and guidance.

The golf industry employs a glut of consultants to examine everything from bunkers to balance sheets. Seeking non-golf assistance to establish or improve a recycling program isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s savvy management.

Consider recycling a form of course care with enormous benefits extending beyond the game’s playing grounds. Most courses place divot boxes on par-3 tees. Effectively using a divot box means golfers must grasp why their presence matters. Approach a few recycling stations around the course with the same mindset. They must be visible for a strategic reason.

There’s been a movement over the past decade to “declutter” courses, making it tougher for golfers to find places to clean equipment, toss trash and recycle. No-clutter philosophies yield a gigantic clutter transfer. Golf courses without formal recycling programs make bottles, cans, paper, cardboard, wood and other reusable materials somebody else’s issue. That’s not the form of giving back golf wants to demonstrate.

Effective course care means golfers acknowledge how their actions, or inactions, impact the experiences of others. When golfers commit to doing a few simple things, it helps staff focus on more critical parts of the job.

Recycling should be placed into the same category as fixing ball marks, repairing divots and raking bunkers. The cost of not letting golfers contribute to a pursuit bigger than golf is too important to continue ignoring.